Chương 118: Returning to Yellow Leaf Town

On the mountain road through the Huanglian Mountain Range. Waiting until the dozen or so bandits stood honestly before him like good little children waiting for their rations, Grandee Song nodded in satisfaction and shouted:"Listen well to me! I don't care who your Boss Ke is, but take a good look and remember this! When you see this symbol and hear the name 'Shunfeng Express,' next time, make way for me immediately! Otherwise, no matter where you hide, I will hunt you down one by one and snap your necks!

Understand?!" His shout boomed like rolling thunder. The men only felt their heads buzzing and spinning, their faces drained of color, as they involuntarily knelt down and kowtowed:"Understood, understood! Thank you for sparing our lives, Young Hero!"

"Tell your Boss Ke: if he doesn't have the skill to take a hit from this hammer and survive, he better tread carefully around me!" Saying that, Song Que turned, reached out, and took one of Xiong Ba's hammers. Channelling his full strength, he hurled it at the cliff face to the side! Boom! Bam... Crash... Rumble... A crater over a meter deep and three meters in diameter appeared on the cliff face, shocking everyone present!

Many were struck by the flying rock fragments, but their brains hadn't even registered the pain yet; they were entirely terrified by Grandee Song's single strike! Looking at the cracked, mottled cliff face and the massive hammer deeply embedded within it... let alone the bandits, aside from Xiong Ba, everyone present was horrified and found it hard to believe! The bandits were nearly scared into wetting their pants, their limbs trembling uncontrollably, at a complete loss for what to do.

Seeing their ashen faces, looking as if their parents had died, Grandee Song smugly and satisfactorily shouted:"Why haven't you scrammed yet?!"

"Yes, yes! We'll scram immediately!" These words were no different from a heavenly decree! The bandits, as if granted a grand pardon, scrambled to their feet and ran for their lives, quickly disappearing into the desolate, remote forest. No one dared to look back even once; it was simply too terrifying! Only then did the men of the Shunfeng Escort Agency recover their senses. Their eyes burned with excitement as they looked at Boss Song.

With a boss like this, why worry that Shunfeng won't grow powerful in the future?! The escorts began to yearn for and dream about their future. His display of force had precisely this underlying intention. Seeing the surging fighting spirit of the men on his side, Grandee Song secretly nodded in satisfaction. He signaled Xiong Ba to retrieve the hammer, and after resting for a moment, the group continued their journey....

On a rugged stretch of the mountain road, the horse-drawn carriages strained, carefully navigating past several bad sections. Suddenly: Crack... Boom... Neigh...! The sounds of snapping wood, crashing, and frantic horse whinnies echoed sequentially.

"Careful!"...

"Quick, hold it!" The escorts scrambled into chaos. By the time Song Que turned to look, a carriage wheel had snapped off completely. The carriage lost its balance and tilted heavily to one side, spilling a considerable amount of cargo. Fortunately, it wasn't anything fragile. Grandee Song frowned:"What happened?" Guan Xing rushed over, inspected the situation, and said ashamedly:"Boss, it's because the carriage hasn't been maintained in a long time; the wheel gave out.

It caused the carriage to fall into the ditch by the roadside." I can clearly see that too. Song Que rolled his eyes at him, suppressing his temper as he asked:"Uncle Guan, is there a way to fix it?"

"Rest assured, Boss! Several men in the agency know how to make repairs. It will just take a little time." Seeing that the sky was still bright and the weather cool, Grandee Song nodded and ordered:"Everyone find a spot to rest and eat. We will continue once the carriage is repaired." Song Que and his group found a flat area, sat down, and took out water to rest. Only the escorts were busy bringing out tools, huddling together to discuss how to fix the carriage.

Guan Xing didn't interfere either; he specifically sat beside Boss Song to explain common incidents encountered while escorting. There wasn't much to it, primarily two types: either being robbed, or the carriage breaking down. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Transportation vehicles in this era were crude and extremely prone to breaking down, which was why transportation costs remained persistently high.

Suddenly, the 'Scholar' Song had a thought about manufacturing a durable, easy-to-use vehicle! Wheels, rubber tires, steering wheel... After pondering for a while, he came to a conclusion: I, Grandee Song, don't know the first thing about any of this! The idea of manufacturing a vehicle sparked and then immediately extinguished. But it wasn't completely useless! I'll just remember it and assign the task to capable people later! Even if Grandee Song doesn't understand, there are plenty of people who do!

When the conditions are right, I'll just find someone to research it! Watching the group of escorts surrounding the broken carriage on the road, beginning to unload it, Song Que frowned:"Uncle Guan, what are they doing?"

"Young Master Song, aren't they unloading the cargo? How else can they lift the carriage to repair it?" Song Que shook his head. How long will it take to finish if they do it that way? He called out loudly:"Stop!" The escorts, busy with their hands and feet, paused and looked at their boss in confusion, not knowing what they had done wrong. Ignoring them, Grandee Song looked at Xiong Ba, who still had an excess of energy and was swinging his hammers around. He shouted:"Xiong Ba, stop for a moment.

Go lift the carriage so the brothers can fix it!" Hearing the command, the simple-minded bear tossed his hammers to the ground and stepped forward to help. Facing him, everyone still felt psychological pressure and hurriedly scrambled out of the way to see what he intended to do. Xiong Ba didn't say much; he stepped up to the edge of the ditch, grabbed the carriage axle, and shouted:"Up!" The carriage, which several men couldn't budge, was lifted step by step by his two hands!

He didn't stop until he reached flat ground, then turned to the others and asked:"Is this good?"

"Good, good!" Shocked to their core, the escorts nodded frantically like chickens pecking at grain, hurriedly fetching rocks and logs to prop the carriage up straight. Waiting until the carriage was stable, Xiong Ba nodded, jogged back, grabbed his pair of hammers, and continued his joyful martial arts dance! The whistling of the wind created by the hammers made everyone involuntarily step back a little further! This strength is too terrifying! Even if he's weaker than Boss Song, he can't be that much weaker!

At the very least, they couldn't withstand it! Is our Shunfeng really this badass?! The escorts exchanged glances, then, wildly elated, began shouting and working with extreme enthusiasm! The future was bright! They could be considered the founding members (nguyên lão) of this new era! With the Boss and Brother Xiong Ba here, it would be hard for Shunfeng not to rise to the top!... Once the carriage was repaired, everyone immediately set off again.

The journey to Yellow Leaf Town was smooth, without any further incidents. Along the way, they encountered three more bandit groups intending to collect tolls. After Grandee Song and Xiong Ba stepped forward and deterred them, they all obediently took a flag back home to keep as a treasured heirloom! Look at it and remember: see it in the future, and get out of the way!

Looking at the familiar, low walls of Yellow Leaf Town ahead, even though they had only been away for a few months, Song Que and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and affection. The group stopped to organize themselves and process the paperwork to enter the town. Song Que conveniently turned to Guan Xing and asked:"Uncle Guan, you've been to Yellow Leaf Town before. How did you handle the cargo then?" This question stumped Old Guan.

He thought for a while before answering uncertainly:"Boss, previously, I only took escort commissions. Bringing the goods here and handing them over to the client was the end of my responsibility. Otherwise, let me try to find some of my old clients and ask around." Hearing this, Grandee Song suddenly understood. That makes sense. They were an escort agency before! He embarrassedly waved his hand:"If that's the case, then there's no need. I have quite a few connections here. I will find someone to ask later."

"Alright, if there are any difficulties, Boss, just come find me." Nodding and dismissing Old Guan, Song Que turned to Zhong Hong:"Brother Hong, you go find Brother Hui to ask about this later. He works in this industry; he should be clear about the channels."

"Mm, I'll go right now! Otherwise, where to store all these goods will be a huge problem!" Doing trade for the first time, Zhong Hong was also unsure. Feeling a bit anxious, he didn't dally, hurriedly spurring his horse to find his contact. The rest of the group proceeded methodically with the paperwork to enter the town....

"Brother Song! Why didn't you let me know you were coming back?!" Just as everyone was entering, a hearty voice rang out. Following the sound, Song Que saw Liang Jing leading Zhong Hong, Chung Hui, and several Iron Saber Gang members toward them.

"Guild Master Liang, have you been well? I just arrived, and I might not stay long, so I didn't want to trouble everyone." Seeing the enthusiastic greeting, Grandee Song didn't dare be aloof. He dismounted, cupped his hands, and smiled.

"What trouble?! If my friends in the martial underworld heard that, wouldn't they criticize Liang Jing for lacking loyalty?! Brother Song, we must absolutely share a meal today! Last time, I was ashamed that my alcohol tolerance was lacking and I couldn't see you off! This Liang still feels guilty about it!" Since the person was already here, the overwhelming hospitality couldn't be refused. Grandee Song could only accept:"Then once I finish handling this batch of goods, I will come find you, Guild Master Liang."

"Haha, there is no need to worry yourself with that! Leave it to the Iron Saber Gang to resolve for you! This Liang will absolutely not take a single copper for it!" It seemed Old Liang wasn't going to let him go unless he took him away right now. Song Que could only smile bitterly.

"Then I respectfully accept your offer! I will trouble you, Guild Master Liang!"

"Haha, that's more like it! Let me send someone to call Constable Wu and Lord Lu and the others." Remembering that he hadn't seen Old Wu in a while either, Song Que smiled:"Guild Master Liang is truly thoughtful."

"Say no more, let's go!" Old Liang laughed loudly, sent people to invite Lu Ji and Wu Yi, and personally led the way for Song Que. Yellow Leaf Town was only the size of a fist; there was no need for everyone to ride horses and make things complicated. Handing Wu Yun over to the subordinates to care for, Grandee Song only brought his family and Guan Xing along. The others stayed behind to continue cooperating with the Iron Saber Gang's people to handle the business.

"Truly magnificent steeds!" Only now noticing Grandee Song's mounts, Liang Jing couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Looking at the two tall and majestic black horses, Old Liang couldn't help but secretly wonder if he could even take these beasts in a fight!

"They are called 'Wu Yun Da Xue' and 'Wu Zhui'. They are mutant Black Dragon Horses, gifted to me by a friend," Grandee Song inadvertently flaunted, inflicting deep emotional damage on Liang Jing. I must absolutely be associating with a bunch of bad friends! Otherwise, why hasn't anyone gifted me such precious horses?! Old Liang secretly wiped a tear. Within the town, there was still no place more suitable for hosting guests than the Five Flavors Restaurant!

Liang Jing had already sent someone ahead to book a table there, and now led Song Que and his group into a private room to take their seats.